Naruto: Of New Worlds and New Beginnings
by Captain Lycan
Summary: Having lost the war and his way Naruto is brought to the Institute. But the X-Men's inner demons start to come to head just as a madman sets his sights on mutantkind. Will they be able help each other and overcome the darkest impulses of humanity and of their own natures?
1. Prologue

**Naruto: Of New Worlds and New Beginnings****  
**

**Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor the X-Men  
**

**Prologue: Psychward**

**From the Audio Logs of Charles Xavier...**

"_Naruto Uzumaki appears to be a sixteen year old male of above average physical fitness. He is simultaneously one the strangest but most tragic people I have ever met. Young Naruto seems to have through means unknown to me managed to manifest in our world from one profoundly different than our own. For the sake of brevity I will only focus on aspects of that world are directly re__levant to the patient's current mental state._

_The patient's life has been marked by a series of hardships and traumatic events that have left their mark on the boy. Unfortunately due to Naruto's withdrawn nature and the many fantastical details that color what little he has told me make an objective analysis difficult. The boy's childhood was marked by periods of social isolation due to his pariah status for at the time being what literally translates as __"human sacrifice", the vessel of a demonic entity._

_Naruto's youth was very similar to Kurt's, though Naruto doesn't appear to have been the victim of physical violence in his childhood. Mr. Wagner at least had the benefit of emotional support from his adopted parents. Naruto was forced to cope with his ordeal__s alone for most of his formative years. His adolescence were marked by military service that appears to be compulsory or at last strongly encouraged for those with extra-human abilities...including that world's long present mutant population to my horror._

_Yet the mutants of that world seem to be an accepted part of their culture. Naruto himself has never displayed any fear or animosity regarding mutants. The patient though appears to have been scarred from the many ordeals he endured as a __soldier_

_(Heavy Sigh)Note to self: I shall have to impress upon the anime fans among my students not to harass him over his ninja status__._

_Prior to outbreak of war he became associated with a prophecy and found himself hailed as a messianic figure by the people who had once ostracized him. Naruto himself seemed to have believed it and while generally such beliefs would normally be associated with schizophrenia but that isn't the case here. Nevertheless Naruto entered into a war under the belief he would be able to protect all dear to him from harm. Sadly __reality did not match his hopes in the least leaving Naruto profoundly damaged._

_When Logan and myself found the boy we rushed him to Moria's facility for treatment, considering the state he was in it's a miracle he was even alive. Healing rates truly are remarkable things but the lingering mental scars have, until now, made me reluctant to bring the boy to the Institute. The lad displays many of the classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder including lack of sleep, bursts of anger, and occasio__nally severe dissociation compounded by survivor's guilt._

_Naruto has managed over the past several months to learn an impressive amount of English. Moria claims he throws himself into his studies at times becoming obsessive, clearly eager to occupy himself. The young man has however proven unresponsive to therapy and apparently he's deteriorating according the latest report. My former fiancé is now insistent I bring him to the Institute believing he may respond better to those his own age. I will brief the senio__r staff here in the morning about Naruto in the morning before having the boy brought here. I do hope the lad is able to find peace among the other children, if not I may have to consider other options."_

**AN: **For those of you who read "Revenge with the Slice of Cake" this is the prequel to that two shot. Chapter One is being worked on but for I hope you enjoyed this morsel. Special thanks to grumpywinter for the help he's given me in planning out the story arcs of this tale. Please remember to review and alert this story, peace out!


	2. Chapter One: Damaged upon Arrival

**Chapter One- Damaged upon Arrival  
**

**Legacy Arc**

**Xavier Institute for the Gifted, Bayville, New York, Late August...**

The boy known as Uzumaki Naruto sat in the cabin of the Blackbird clearly having seen better days and only somewhat aware of the man standing over him. The most obvious clues were the dark circles under his eyes and pale complexion. If those who knew him best were here they might also point to his choice of attire as proof that he was most certainly not in his happy place. A grey long-sleeved shirt and faded jeans with not so much as a thread of orange in sight.

"Alright hedgehog hair," The short, feral man in the black leather uniform interjected gruffly, "we're here." Naruto, his expression looked somewhat dazed, blinked and looked out the window. The dark night sky was gone, instead was they were now in some kind of underground lair. The blonde grabbed his bag and jacket, his movements mechanical, forced. The Canadian's rough features softened somewhat, "Piece of advice kid," Logan said to Naruto as walked past him, the young ninja stopped but didn't turn around, "take it from a guy who's seen the elephant more then once and got trampled: What happened, happened," He stated, "Ain't no undoing that, only real choice is movin forward."

Naruto looked at him as if to say something but chose silence. There was a dead look in the shinobi's eye's Logan had seen before. The look of men who had gone to battle but didn't know how to cope with it. Men that either ate their own guns or took the slow route with alcohol and stronger substances, _"If this kid's a ninja he may be considering Seppuku, might want to keep an eye on him." _Logan decided as caught up with Naruto, the healing might rate make suicide difficult but not impossible.

When the ramp was lowered and they exited the craft, as they did two people entered the cavernous hanger. Charles had arranged for Naruto to be brought in the middle of the night so he wouldn't swarmed by the other students. Logan wasn't surprised to see Scott was with Professor, slim had clearly been worried about bringing someone unbalanced to the school. The gruff Canadian wondered how much more worried if he knew what Chuck claimed was living inside the kid's head.

The blond teen glanced briefly at Xavier who's ever pensive expression warmed at the sight of the ninja, "Naruto I'd like to welcome you to the Institute," He then gestured to the person standing next to him, "Allow me to introduce one of my top students: Scott Summers." Scott was tall, somewhat older than Naruto with dark red hair styled with anal precision. With his eyes hidden behind ruby quartz lenses and his alert expression many would've found intimidating. But there was no hostility, only caution and concern.

The field leader of the X-Men extended his hand to Naruto who seemed to take a minute to notice the gesture. The ninja did shake his but struck Scott as being lost inside his own head. Having been briefed by the Professor about Naruto's "situation" Cyclops couldn't blame the guy for being out of it. The young mutant leader had initial been concerned that the ninja represented a danger to the others.

Despite choosing what struck Scott as amoral profession Naruto was clearly suffering from everything he had seen. He himself was no stranger to tragedy, he knew how isolated pain could make you feel. He could almost imagine Jean telling him to be nice not judgmental, "We prepped a room for you, I can take you there if you'd like." He offered, "You look like you could use the rest." Naruto hesitantly followed the X-Man leaving Logan and the professor alone,

"The kid's a wreck Chuck," Logan stated, "he's gonna need a lot of help. Some peace and quiet would help but good luck with that here."

"We shall do what we can for him." In the morning he would brief the students about the institute's newest resident. He would have to make sure that he only gave them the bare minimum of information. Both out of respect for the boy's privacy but also for the sake of the other children. That last year had fairly hard on all the students and didn't want to damage their innocence any further. He doubted Naruto would want to tell strangers of the things he had endured in the other world anyways.

* * *

**The Next Morning...**

Sleep had proven as elusive here as it did back on the island but some part of him did appreciate the more spacious grounds. Deep in the woods Naruto found solace away from the students of this strange school. The way they stared and whispered reminded him all to much of the dark days of his childhood. He may not have felt the same fear and malice in their actions as he had in his old classmates. But the similarities were however close enough to remind him that he really had fallen far; once more his life was without bonds or purpose.

The punishment for losing the battle, the war, and the whole fucking world. For all the false hope he had given others, for all the broken promises. Naruto didn't consider himself religious by any stretch of the imagination but didn't discount the idea that this was some kind of hell. A place where he couldn't connect with people the way he once had, at first because of language and now because...because, _"I can't anymore." _People had become abstract concepts for him since arriving in this "world", like he couldn't see them as people on some level anymore. He wondered if it was this was made worse by the general strangeness of the people here.

Both Moria and Xavier had called what he was experiencing "dissociation" and had tried to assure him that is a normal part of what people who had seen war. He wondered if that was the reason for Kakashi-sensei's reclusive lifestyle and why Jiraiya had spent his life as a wanderer. Naruto wanted to ask them if porn addiction was a risk for him as well but he was unsure of how much he could trust them. For all he knew this could be the Infinite Tsukuyomi, this whole world could the warped fabrication of a madman's dream. There was no real way to test his theory on his own and Kurama was beyond pissed with him. The demon hadn't taken a near death experience very well and had opted to give him the silent treatment.

A female voice could be heard speaking, from the tree branch he was perched on Naruto could see three of them dressed in strange (to him) civilian clothes in a small clearing. A petite brunette with her hair tied up in a ponytail in a way that reminded him of Ayame helped set up a blanket for what looked like a picnic. A slightly taller and more filled out dark-skinned girl helped her. With them though had to be one of the most unique people Naruto had ever seen. He looked like a blue demon pointed ears, a spade tipped tail, and three large digits on both his hands and feet in place of normal fingers and toes. Could that masked bastard really have imagined all these strange things?

_"This is a guy who spent years pretending to be retarded," _Naruto thought to himself, _"I can't really assume anything." _The "demon" was carrying a backpack and cooler that he opened up once the blanket was set up. Judging by the food Naruto guessed this was a picnic, a private gathering of friends to be sure. He watched wondering if should reveal himself to them or just leave. If none of this was real though what was the harm? Did right and wrong exist in an imaginary world? Could he do whatever he wished?

It was a concept that sent a shiver up of both fear and excitement through him. All his life he had held himself back in one way or another, a strange concept for those who had grown up around him. This was the boy who had spent his childhood devoted to pranks and vandalism. The thing he had never told anyone was that the people who were on the receiving end of the worse pranks were people he honestly would've rather decked. During the battle with Sasuke all those years ago Naruto suspected in the absence of his enhanced curse mark he probably would've killed the Uchiha in his demon fueled rage.

He had come to terms with those repressed feelings at the Falls of Truth but now it was as if the recently healed wounds had been ripped open. Honestly he didn't know if could or should take the high road again. He just didn't feel up to it anymore, the fire that had driven him was gone. He watched them interact with one another, their laughter, their smiles, and the little gestures of affection they shared.

* * *

Since it was a pleasantly warm day and with the end of summer nigh such days would soon be gone, they had decided to go for a picnic in the forested grounds of the Institute. They had hoped to make a group activity but the others had plans so it was just the three of them to enjoy the food and chat about the latest and strangest happenings at the institute, "So he's an alien?" Amanda Sefton's disbelief was quite apparent as Kurt and Kitty tried to tell her about the strange new student that had be brought to the Institute during the night.

"Vell zhe professor said zhat he's basically human just from zhis other dimension." The elf explained as he handed his girlfriend a sandwich from the basket and a drink he fished out of the cooler with, "For you liebchen."Amanda smiled and kissed him on his velvety furred cheek as she took the offered food.

"Thanks baby." She cooed before turning to look at Kitty who smiled at them weakly. The couple felt a little bad for Kitty, she had recently endured a fairly bad break up with Lance on top of a bad case of strep throat over the course of the last month. The normally bubbly girl had been understandably down lately as a result of it all, "So Kitty have you heard anything interesting about the new guy?" She shrugged,

"No, the professor was totally cryptic about him. We know his name is Naruto, he like not from around here, and he has problems."

"That's all he told you guys?" They both simply shrugged,

"He doesn't tell us much most of zhe time liebchen." Kurt told her, Amanda thought they both looked a little uncomfortable, "He usually has his reasons." The German boy said reassuringly as started serving himself some food. The two X-Men were silent leaving her to wonder if she had struck some nerve. They ate and made small talk, Kitty seemed to perk up as they started talking about the latest celebrity gossip. The girls gasped and giggled as they discussed the latest intrigues out of Hollywood, Kurt made an admirable effort to pay attention.

It was when Amanda rested her head on her boyfriends shoulder for comfort that she noticed they weren't alone. She saw a figure perched in a tree at the edge of the clearing, his posture not unlike Kurt's "Does the new guy have weird spiky hair?"

* * *

Naruto watched as all three of them looked up at him appearing both surprised and unnerved. After a moment of talking amongst themselves that the on that looked like a demon vanished in a flash of yellow light and smoke. A heartbeat later he appeared before Naruto who's nostrils were hit with the smell of sulfur. Being in his presence the ninja knew this guy wasn't a demon at all. He gave off no malevolent chakra or intent, the blue-furred guy actually managed a smile. It was clear they weren't happy about him watching them but the teleporter managed a friendly smile anyways,

"Uh...Hi zhere, I'm Kurt Wagner" He introduced himself awkwardly, Naruto wondered briefly if this was all real. Was Kurt and the rest of this strange world nothing but the by product of a madman's dream? Was that why he had been confined first to an island and now this "school"? Looking at an increasingly nervous Kurt he had to wonder if the guy would know he was an illusion if that were the case? Rather than give himself a migraine pondering increasingly complex philosophical questions he said:

"Uzumak- Naruto Uzumaki," and shook the furred hand that had been extended to him, the shinobi tried to sound friendly but judging Kurt's by the still worried expression he hadn't succeeded, _"It used to be so easy."_

"Ve do have some extra food left if you'd like to join us." Naruto did feel a little hungry, was the fact that he still ate a sign that this was all real? Meanwhile Kurt felt as though he was beginning to understand what Xavier meant by this guy having "person problems in need of treatment". The way he seemed to get lost inside his head between responses was fairly concerning. But the Professor wouldn't have brought someone truly dangerous to the Institute without giving them all a proper warning, right? Then again he had let them go to school without telling them their principal was Mystique. Kurt also suspect the Professor had been very aware that the shapeshifter was his mother for quite sometime before Rogue's nightmare.

"Sure" He answered finally and leapt down from the oak to Kurt's surprise. Naruto landed on his feet apparently no worse for the wear, the elf ported on the ground beside him, "So vhat do think of zhe Institute?"

"It's better then the island," Naruto muttered as they stepped into the clearing, "way more room." He added trying to sound a little less bitter,

"How long vere you zhere?"

"I..I don't know really." He said, Kurt could hear a trace fear in the other's voice and see it coloring his expression. It reminded him of Rouge right after her powers had gone haywire, when she had confided in him how deeply she had feared for her sanity. Kurt wondered what a terrible thing it would be to no longer be able to trust your own thoughts and perceptions. He stopped and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder offered a sympathetic smile. Naruto flinched and froze momentarily. At first Kurt thought it was because of his appearance but Naruto looked shocked, not scared.

Thinking about it Naruto actually didn't seem afraid of him, most people were scared out of their minds first they saw his real self. He considered asking about that but good manners compelled him to formally introduce him to girls, "Naruto, these lovey women are my lady love Amanda and my good friend Kitty Pride." Both girls smiled and rolled her eyes at Kurt's theatrics. Naruto muttered a quiet hello and accepted a sandwich offered by the brunette who regarded him curiously with those soft blue doe eyes .

"Can I like, ask you something?" Naruto seemed uncertain, he had gotten his fill of questions from the Doctor and the Professor. It took him a moment to recognize it was a simple request.

"Just a couple of questions are okay I guess."The idea that it was all an illusion was ever present in the back of his mind. Without Kurama's help there was no breaking a genjutsu of this level anyways so he might as well make the best of it.

**AN: **Well folks let me know what you think and don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter Two: Damaged upon Arrival II

**Legacy Arc**

**Chapter Two – Damaged upon Arrival II**

**Xavier Institute...**

They sat in the clearing surrounded by trees as the boy from another world spoke in melancholic voice of a place where mystical powers and talking animals were accepted facts of life. In their time as X-Men (or dating one, in Amanda's case) they had encountered a lot of strange things but if he was telling the truth Naruto was a whole new level of Naruto's mood was not lost on any of them the shonen fan manga fan among the three just couldn't help himself, "You're a ninja?" Kurt's golden eyes were wide as his inner anime fanboy took over, his previous fears forgotten"A real ninja?" His tail swishing back and forth clearly excited, a rubber pirate would've been cooler but Kurt was still pretty psyched.

The girls watched with raised eyebrows as the elf began pestering him various questions about ninja powers and weaponry. Naruto at first answering his questions reluctantly but relented quite easily, "Somebody has a new man crush." Kitty said in a sing song tone,

"Oh no," Amanda gasped dramatically, "who will break the news to Scott?" Kurt's admiration of the X-Men leader had a source of amusement for them and the subject lewd innuendo for others. The resulting giggle fit briefly caught the boys attention but they both seemed to talk it to something unrelated to them.

"We should step if Kurt doesn't wind down in a bit." Kitty said as she laid down on the blanket, she seemed to watching the clouds that drifted lazily overhead. One partially blocked out the sun casting a shadow over the clearing. Amanda noticed something similar happening to Kitty's demeanor, she hadn't been the same since the break up?"

"We're friends, right Kitty?" She kept her voice low as she scooted closer to Kitty,

"Yeah," She replied hoping this wasn't about what she was afraid it was, "Why?"

"What really happened between you and Lance?"

"Nothing!" The normally cheerful girl snapped, "I just finally figured what a total asshole he is!"

"Kurt told me the Professor had to beg your parents for you to be allowed back." Amanda said calmly while Kitty found herself very tempted to phase the elf's brain out of his skull,"I know Lance visited you during the summer, did...did he hit you?" She asked wondering if her parents found bruises or something. Lance had never been violent with her outside the battlefield but there was a first time for everything,

"No," she answered quietly, glancing over to the still sunny patch of the clearing she noticed Kurt was watching Naruto throw glowing plastic utensils _into _an oak tree. She looked back at her friend her eyes strangely guarded, "please don't tell anyone." She whispered,

"Of course," Amanda momentarily wondered what could have like this aside from abuse before her eyes went wide. She looked at Kitty's stomach,"Are you preg-"

"No!" Kitty hissed and took a quick glance at the boys who seemed oblivious. She looked back at Amanda

"Sorry, I figured you being sick was a cover for something." Kitty closed her eyes and hugged her knees close to her chest,

"I was sick,"She said quietly, "It just wasn't strep." Amanda put a hand over mouth as realization hit her and Pride's self-loathing became more apparent,

"Oh my God that pig! Kitty..." She started, "Kitty...are...you going to be okay" Amanda manged to finish,

"It was treatable," The brunette assured the other girl who let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, "I'm fine but my parents,"Her lower lip started quivering, "my parents are so mad," a few tears fell from her eyes,"and ashamed of me." She did manage to somewhat hold herself together as Amanda comforted her, "Everyone tried to tell me he was no good, God I was so stupid!"

* * *

Kurt had been practically bouncing around the ninja as he demonstrated more techniques. The ninja seemed to have become a little more willing to show off abilities to the eager teleporter. Naruto had started to make hand signs for one of his "jutsu" as he turned to call the girls when he noticed something was wrong. Kurt's eyes widened upon seeing Kitty wiping her eyes, "Kaztchen?" his voice filled worry yet barely above a whisper.

In a flash of smoke and brimstone he appeared by the girls, "Vhat's vrong vith her?" He asked Amanda,

"She's just not feeling good," His girlfriend said quickly, "let's just get her back to Institute." Kurt nodded and looked back at Naruto, the ninja just looked at Kitty with a blank expression, "Kurt," Amanda said getting his attention, "You can get her back to the institute faster, I'll stay and pick up the mess."Kurt nodded then turned to Kitty,

"Wait," Naruto said surprising them all, "go with your friends Amanda-san. I'll...I'll take care of this," He said gesturing to the remains of the picnic,

"Are you sure?" Amanda asked seeing what a mess it was, the ninja nodded before conjuring several copies of himself with a gesture and a phrase.

"I guess that settles it." Kurt said in a deadpan before teleporting them away leaving Naruto alone. His copies began to pick the trash while the ninja sat under a tree. He seen the tears and heard the pain in Kitty's voice but frighteningly enough it just...didn't bother him the way it once would have. Granted girls had always been hard for him to understand, mass murderers he could connect with just fine. It was however the virtual indifference he felt that was concerning but if this was all an illusion what was the point of caring?

"But what if this place is real?" He asked no one as he looked skyward, "If it's real I have no way to go home," Naruto said quietly, "If I can't get home," thoughts of Jiraiya, his parents, the Third, everyone who had given their lives for him or for Konoha. To give him a chance to create a world of peace "All that sacrifice would be in vain, completely...completely meaningless." Naruto buried his face in his hands, his breathing becoming erratic. After a moment he managed to calm down, raising his head up he seemed almost calm, "I'll talk to Kurama, we'll break the genjutsu and make it all right;" He said firmly, "we'll win the war, beat some sense into Sasuke. It won't have been for nothing, it...it can't have been for nothing."

* * *

The professor watched his prized student as she meticulously read through the files on Naruto. She had only returned this morning from her parents, Xavier hated having her do this instead of socializing with her friends. The slight widening of her eyes was the only outward indication of how strange or surprising she found the contents of that folder. It was somewhat more informative than the one he had given Scott to read but not the complete file. Besides him only Moria and Logan had access to that, and the rest of his unabridged archives that file belonged too.

He suspected Raven may have acquired her own partial copy of those records two years back during her brake in, it would explain how she had known of Wanda Maximoff. But now was not the time to ponder such things, "As you can no doubt tell the boy is lost in more ways than one," Xavier stated, "if possible I'd like you to handle Naruto's sessions from now on, to provide the guidance he needs." Jean's emotional control slipped this time,

"Me?" The redhead looked down at the files, "With all due respect sir I think I'd be out of my depth on this in more ways than one. I've taken a few courses in counseling but that's it, this is a case unlike an-" Jean stopped when Xavier raised his hand,

"You greatly underestimate your talent Jean," He then smiled cryptically, "and I have good reason to believe he'll be far more open to you than me." Seeing Jean still look hesitant the professor sighed, "Naruto resents me for keeping him confined to Muir Island, perhaps I should brought him to the Institute in the first place."

"Why didn't you sir?"

"I wanted to avoid adding culture shock to his many problems. His mind was fragile and Muir Island struck me as being a far more peaceful setting for catharsis than here." He gave a weary smile, "Even under the best of circumstances this place is seldom peaceful, added to which I found him just after the incident in New York." Jean nodded in understanding, the entire eastern seaboard had been in chaos in the wake of the "incident". The young woman closed the file and looked up at her mentor,

"I still think I'm under qualified but I'll try," She said uncertainly, her emerald eyes glanced down at the folder curiously, "The file mentioned that Naruto appears to have years worth of implanted memories?"

"Yes," Xavier said looking uncertain, "these memories are not unlike Rogue's personality fragments in terms of the damage they've done to the boy's mind." He said sadly, "I believe since the bulk of the these memories are of some manner of training I believe they may have been implanted for the purposes of increasing the lad's combat abilities with very little regard or understanding of the damage done." Jean started reading off the effects to herself,

"Weakened impulse control leading to emotional instability, erratic behavior, self-destructive tendencies, and paranoia... oh my god this poor boy." Jean said quietly,

"All this further exasperated by his other mental issues. This young man, Logan, and Rogue together represent an encyclopedia's worth of posthuman mental health problems." The professor as he maneuvered his chair to face the window of his study, "Given these and other issues I must forbid from entering the boy's mind. If for whatever reason you need to subdue him a simple psychic blast will suffice." Jean was a little confused by the cryptic order but didn't question it as she got up to leave.

* * *

**Location Unknown...**

In his cruelest, most cynical moments Erik couldn't help but wonder if it was almost fortunate that his beloved Magda had died giving birth to Pietro else she might have died of shame at the sight of the man he had become. Erik watched as his only son gossiped with the Acolytes like a school girl over the latest drama from Charles's apparently increasingly debauched school, "Sorry guys they're broken up for good this time," The white haired teen said excitedly, "Lance gave his little Kitty cat a working dose of throat clap." He paled momentarily dimming his gleeful expression, "that voice mail she left our machine was actually pretty freaky. I think she hangs out with Wolverine to much," He muttered before turning back to the others with his hand extended, "Anyways I won the bet, pay up!"

Watching his son and his elite Acolytes find both amusement and profit in the heartache of a young woman almost shook his faith in his belief of mutant superiority. Most of his follows were mercenaries rather than genuine followers of his ideology, should he come across younger recruits he would make a point of molding them the way Charles had with his followers. His old friend had created a cult of personality Joseph Stalin would've envied, he almost pitied the X-Men.

"Father?" Pietro's tone was respectful as he addressed his father, Eric's dark green eyes focused on the boy,

"Are you through gossiping?" He asked his son dryly, conveying some disappointment. The young speedster seemed a little embarrassed,

"Yes sir, sorry," Pietro said, "hearing about the X-Geek's love lives is really the only thing they have for entertainment. Do you ever think about getting cable or something?" Erik blinked,

"If it diverts them away from this disturbing fixation I will strongly consider it. I certainly hope you show far respect to the young women you are involved with then that imbecilic friend of yours."

"Yeah...totally." Pietro said not looking his old man in the eye, "So what's this about dad?" he asked eager to change the subject, without speaking Erik turned around and pushed a button on the console,

"Joanna? I need you to come here please."

"Yes sir." A strong female voice answered, Peitro raised a curious eyebrow,

"My son, I would strongly advise you to behave yourself." Before Pietro could respond the doors to main area opened and in walked a formidable looking nineteen year old African American woman. In the absence of an expression that clearly said "Don't fuck with me bitch" Pietro would have found her black leather clad well-toned figure very attractive. She looked at him clearly not impressed,

"This your boy sir?"

"Yes," Looking at "his boy" Erik said, "Pietro I'd like to introduce to Joanna Cargill who's mutant name is Frenzy. She will be providing your team much needed training," Eric mentally readied himself for the incoming hissy fit, "and leadership."

"WHAT!?" The speedster said sound simultaneously hurt and indignant, "What's wrong with the job I've doing."

"Everything!" His father's tone quelled any desire to voice further dissent, "Chief among them was failing to inform me of your sister's...relapse." Frenzy raised an eyebrow but said nothing, "Her defection to SHIELD's superhuman strike team is potentially disastrous for the entirety of our cause!" Pietro hung his head low so his father wouldn't see his tears; Wanda was probably one of the few people he truly cared about more than himself. The other continued to chew him out, "I've gave you command of the Brotherhood in the hopes you would learn a modicum of responsibility but you instead handled it with an ineptitude that shames me!" Eric sat quietly for a moment to compose himself before speaking again, "This isn't a game my son," His tone softer than before, "Apocalypse and the incident in New York have changed things. It is no longer Charles's overly pious children you risk provoking with such actions. Do you understand?"

"Yes father," Pietro said quietly, "I do."

"Good," He said and turned back towards the various monitors, "I will be sending Frenzy over in three days, I suggest you and your friends prepare yourselves. I have very good reason to believe the war will soon be upon us." Eric said as he pulled up a video of a man who looked to be in fifties who appeared to be giving a speech. With his combed back grey hair and charming smile the man had a grandfatherly look to him. Yet in his pale blue eyes Magneto saw a glimmer of madness he had not scene in decades, "Very soon."

**AN:** The next chapter will be mostly focus back on Naruto, in this I wanted to show what had been happening with the evo characters since Apocalypse. Oh and an imaginary cookie for the reviewer to figure out the identity of the man at the end there, please review and peace out!


	4. Chapter Three: Damaged upon Arrival III

**Chapter Three – Damaged on Arrival Part III  
**

**Xavier Institute, the next day...**

Crouched on the roof of the manor Naruto watched as the students left in groups into the town beyond the gates. He help but be reminded of the Hyuga compound back in Konoha, a luxuriant but fortified home separated from the main village. They claimed to be an academy but the way they interacted with one another was almost clannish.

Naruto then turned his attention from them to the town beyond, the architecture did strike him as a little strange but none the less seemed to have the feel of a large town or perhaps a small city. Xavier had forbidden him from leaving the school grounds yet had assured him he wasn't a prisoner. What would happen if he tried to leave? Would he hit some kind of barrier proving this reality false?

"Excuse me?" A female voice asked, "Are you Naruto?" The young man turned around and for the first time in a long time his colorless expression broke with a widening of the eyes. She hovered above him like an apparition, her long fiery hair floating as if it had a will of it's own.

"Ka-san?" He said torn between hope disbelief, had his mother managed to reach from beyond the grave? If there was ever a time he needed guidance or wanted a shoulder to cry on it was now. His hope shattered like a fallen windowpane upon the sidewalk as the woman descended in front of him. With her features no longer blocked out by the glare of the sun it was instantly clear that she wasn't his mom.

Her green eyes regarded him with a great deal of concern upon seeing the young man look ready to break down into tears, "I'm sorry if scared you," She said to him, "my name is Jean Grey, we had a session scheduled to start ten minutes ago so I came looking for you." Naruto seemed to have regained some level of self-control before replying.

"So your my new head doctor?" He asked, Xavier had mentioned something about that before having him brought here.

"Well I'm more of a guidance councilor than a therapist." Jean explained as she set next to him on the roof , in the absence of telekinetic flight Jean might been a little nervous about being on the roof top of a multistory manor. Naruto seemed unfazed by that at least, something about her had nearly caused him to fall to pieces, "You seemed really upset a minute ago, would you like to talk about that?"

"No," he said quickly, "I really don't want to." He looked out at the town, his expression becoming distant.

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't to," Jean assured him, "But I think you need to talk; about what your feeling now or what you went through before you came here."

"Why?" No telepathy was needed to pick up on the resentment in his tone. She could see all the horrors he had experienced practically etched into his face.

"Because Naruto being able to articulate those feelings is the first step towards being able to resolve those feelings." Jean took a deep breath, "I know how...easy it seems to just to disconnect from your feelings about something horrible that's happened to you rather then face them."

"How?" Jean looked at him for a moment, it wasn't something she had spoken of with a lot of people. But the young woman hoped that opening up about herself might encourage Naruto to do the same. She looked out at Bayville, a place that had become her second home.

"Most mutants only have a single main ability," Jean Grey explained as she made her cellphone levitate, "I have two: my telekinesis which lets me move objects with my mind but I'm also a telepath."

"Like the old man?" In most circumstances Jean would've have bristled at hearing someone reefer to the Professor in such disrespectful terms but in light of the subject she was discussing Jean let it pass.

"Yes, but not as powerful. My powers manifested when I was around eight maybe earlier actually. I sometimes heard what I thought were whispers or have strange dreams. My parents thought it was my over active imagination." Jean reminisced as sadness marred her lovely features "One day I was playing with my best friend, a girl named Annie." Jean felt her eyes moisten as she continued,"I accidentally kicked the ball into the street. She went to grab it just as a car came out of nowhere...it all happened so fast but I was linked to her in those last seconds...I felt her die," The images of Annie's bloodied body came to mind, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before continuing, "the shock of it all left me in a coma for weeks. It was the Professor who helped bring me out of it helped to both learn to control my powers and to come to terms with with Annie's death."

"It sounds like it still hurts." Naruto commented quietly,

"Of course it does Naruto," Jean said gently, "She was one of the closest friends I ever had, when you lose someone that close to you the hurt never really goes away." She explained, "But I learned to cope with it, to channel it into something positive. But for the first few months after waking up from the coma I didn't want to deal with how sad or angry or confused I felt about everything so I went numb. Even after all these years some days I just have a lot of trouble focusing on what's going on around me " She could see cracks forming in the ninja's emotionless expression, "I'd really like to help you if you'll let me Naruto."

"I don't think anybody here can help me." The ninja said as he looked at her, "It's not just that I don't feel anything most of the time but also that I can't feel anything at all from the people around me anymore!" There was a touch of hysteria to his tone now, "It's..it's like this place isn't even real, a fucking illusion!" Tears streamed down his face as he voiced his long held suspicions about this world, "Why else do the people here not seem real!?" Naruto very quickly became considerably more audible and hysterical, "Why else would I be kept prisoner first on that fucking island and now here!"

Jean needed a moment to process what the seething blond had just told her. The outbursts of anger she had known to expect from reading the file, what he had admitted during said outburst was unexpected. The telepath could understand how Naruto might come to that conclusion for several reasons. First was the fact that through his eyes this world probably was very strange to him, unreal even considering the differences in technology. There was perhaps the chance that it was a form of denial; who'd want to admit they really was a universe away from everyone and everything they knew? The last was a factor Jean could fully understand: the virtual short circuiting of his empathic abilities. People who possessed extra sensory abilities rather psionically based like telepathy and empathy or something like Logan's enhanced senses were profoundly dependent upon them. Their loss would be as disorienting as suddenly going blind or deaf would be for most people under the best of circumstances.

Jean, thankful for her accelerated thought process, placed a comforting hand on the shoulder of the hyperventilating teen who sputtering words in his native language, "Naruto?", The compassionate gesture was initially unnoticed but a heart beat later his head jerked up. His cerulean eyes had become slitted which in conjunction with his now quite palpable anger gave her pause. Once more something the file failed to mention but adaptability was a trait that she had learned as a member of the X-Men. Jean kept her voice and expression soothing as she stared into those feral eyes, "Naruto I promise you, everything you see here is real." Jean told him, "I know how unfair it seems to have to be confined like this but it's for your safety and for the people out there." She said gesturing towards the town, "I know that you get angry sometimes, that you've punched holes in the walls of your old room back on the island," Some of the tension and anger bled from Naruto's posture as his eyes returned to normal, "that you've broken things, that you've blown up on people. What if you had an outburst like that in the middle of the crowd?"

"I've...I've never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it." He told her sounding almost hurt,

"I know you haven't," Jean said gently, "but the people in town wouldn't know that. You'd really frighten them Naruto, I don't think you'd want that do you?" His demeanor by now had completely changed gone was the feral anger and even the emotional numbness. Despite being a few years younger than her he now seemed old and tired, somewhat like Logan the few times he dared let down his guard.

"I just want to go home." He told her wearily, "That's what I want. I want to go back to Konoha, to my friends, and try to make everything right." Jean had to work to keep herself from tearing up before responding.

"The Professor's done everything he could to find a way to send you home. It's just that your the first recorded instance of someone arriving from a parallel reality, it's unprecedented. There's a chance we might find a way someday but for now it looks like your here permanently." She hated having to explain that to him but it was the young woman's hope that acceptance would be a first step towards healing. Instead Naruto stood up, seething his teeth barred including his large and surprising sharp looking canines. Jean also couldn't help but notice that he was able to keep his footing the angle of the roof,

"I CAN'T ACEPPT THAT!" He snarled in anger, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH MY FRIENDS NEEDED ME!? ANY IDEA HOW MANY PROMISES I MADE!? AM I JUST SUPPOSED TO FORGET ABOUT ALL THAT?" The slitted eyes had returned, her emerald eyes didn't break contact this time. She could feel the pain that fueled his rage but had to raise her mental shields. While Naruto's ability to sense emotions had been damaged his capacity to project them was still intact. As had had happened before the anger dissipated leaving the boy looking emotionally drained. He hung his head low, "I'm...I'm sorry...I shouldn't scream at people like that." Jean could see tear drops falling from his face, "Especially...especially you." The tone gave her pause, she though of he had looked at her when she had introduced herself earlier. Jean wonder what exactly about her that elicited such a strong reaction. Did professor know he'd be like this? Was this why Xavier insisted on her counseling him?

"I blew up on people all the time when I first got here, usually sending the surrounding furniture into the wall or out the window in the process," She told as she sat down next to him, "the Professor helped me work through that anger, if you let me I can help you work for it to." Jean sat next to him, "You need to work through this Naruto, if you somehow did go back right now would you be in any shape to help anyone?" He jerked his head up looking livid for the briefest of moments but seemed to calm himself down.

"No" The ninja answered bitterly.

"Then let me help you," Jean said and stood up, "we can talk more in my office."

* * *

**Jean's Office, An Hour Later...**

Once they had gotten settled in the office the session had gone somewhat smoother; Naruto had opened up about his feelings towards the Professor and Moria. While Jean didn't like questioning the professor's decision confining him to Muir Island for so long may not have the healthiest thing for him emotionally. She had hoped to start addressing his wartime experiences and perhaps his younger years but had the feeling it would be quite sometime before he'd open up about that. That's how therapy worked, more often than not you wound up having to work your way through layer upon layer to reach it's heart. Like solving the Gordian Knot without the benefit of a blade really and honestly this was far from the best of starts but Jean didn't consider herself a quitter.

"All right Naruto I'd like you to come back here next Saturday." The spiky haired blonde nodded looking fairly ridiculous seated in the over-sized beanbag chair intended for the younger students of the Institute, "Remember those breathing exercises I taught you if you start to feel angry."

"Yes Jean-san." Naruto said as he got up to leave looking on slightly better then she had found him on the roof, Jean sighed as he was about to head out the door.

"Naruto wait," It was something she had been considering but wasn't certain if it was feasible. She did understand that was a process that took time but the perfectionist in her just couldn't leave well enough alone, "I want you to make an effort to socialize with the people, if you can do that without incident I'll talk to the Professor after our next session about letting leave the Institute. Naruto's eye widened like saucers,

"Really?" Jean held up her hand.

"I don't know if he'll say yes but if I can show him that you can interact with people without incident." Jean hated seeing the cautious optimism gone from his eyes but she didn't want to give him false hope.

"I'll try Jean-san," There was a moment's hesitation before he extended his hand, "I promise." Jean smiled warmly at him as she shook his hand. A gesture that oddly enough seemed to elicit an odd array of feelings but not wanting to undo what progress had been made she didn't question it.

* * *

**Naruto's Room, Five Minutes Later...**

Naruto looked down at the photo of his parents, like the rest of the few things from his old life it was a little tattered. With moistened eyes he looked at his long dead mother, her lovely red hair and kind smile not unlike Jean Gray's. The ninja snarled, if this was the Infinite Tsukiyomi Uchiha Obito was a dead man. He didn't give a fuck about his feelings or how sorry he might be Naruto only wanted to jam his thumbs into that bastards eye sockets. If it wasn't the dream of a madman responsible for him being placed in the care of a woman who was the spitting image of his mother that left Xavier. If this was some kind of sick mind game on that bald jackass's part Naruto didn't know if he'd be able to stop himself from wringing that cripple's neck. He closed his eyes and sighed, illusion or not the ninja that didn't have it in him to break a promise to woman who looked like his mother, _"I can play nice one last time I guess."_


	5. Chapter Four: Damaged on Arrival IV

**Chapter Four-Damaged on Arrival IV**

As the first rays of the sun illuminated the dark room Naruto gave up on sleep and threw the covers off. Surprisingly he had managed to get a decent amount of sleep the previous night. Wearing nothing but black sweat pants Naruto climbed out of bed. He could hear some activity in the halls; the sounds of shuffling feet and incoherent mutterings. From what he understood they had training exercises in the morning. That worked out well enough for him really; he needed to try and pull himself together before attempting to socialize with the people here.

Even if he didn't suspect them of being figments of a madman's imagination Naruto had no intention of truly befriending these people. His friends were either dead or waiting for him back home, the blonde stopped and sighed. Aside from the bald prick they seemed like nice people but he couldn't get attached. He hated having to shut them out, he hated that he was reduced to once again pretending to be happy regardless of what he felt on the inside. The idea Jean-san and the old man might be able to see through such a ruse didn't occur to him, long term planning was never one of his strong points. Honestly if he hadn't promised Xavier that he wouldn't attempt to leave the grounds he just say fuck it and go.

But he'd given his word and the boy felt like he had broken enough promises in his lifetime. If he managed to break the spell Naruto wanted to be able to say that Tobi hadn't broken his principals completely. He staggered towards the room's small bathroom to shower stopping in front of the mirror first. Naruto didn't recognize the person staring back at him,"When did I get this thin?" He asked himself, the blonde used his fingers to trace the visible ribs.

He hadn't been this thin since his childhood, well it wasn't that bad but he he guessed he hadn't been eating as much since he got here. Naruto then noticed something else; "When did I get this pale?" While he had always been fair skinned his complexion was now approaching Orochimaru's shade of white.

Lastly were his eyes; they seemed dimmer than he remembered. They were like windows to a darkened room, devoid of their light. Naruto found himself reminded of people like Sasuke, Nagato, and Tobi; like them he had lost everything and had been left with nothing but memories of loved ones to fuel the pain. Now he truly was just lik-there was a strangled scream followed by the shattering of reflective glass and something hard being driven through a wall.

* * *

The X-man known as Nightcrawler was never one for punctuality as such while everyone was already down below for a Danger Room session he was just stepping out of his room. While blamed his alarm not being loud enough his over sleeping probably had more to do with the fact he had snuck his girlfriend in and out for a night of intimacy. He was one of a few sexually active students at the Institute, thanks to Kitty inventing a special deodorizing spray Logan was none the wiser. The elf couldn't help but grin impishly at the thought of getting away with it.

A blood curdling sound echoed throughout the hallway acting as an effective mood killer. Kurt stared at Naruto's door with his fur standing on end. The other night Mr. Logan had asked him to keep an eye on the ninja since his room was next door to the ninja's room. The normally gruff man had explained that the Naruto was likely to try and hurt himself. With this in mind the elf opened the door and darted in quickly. Noticing the light in the bathroom on the blue mutant turned and saw the shattered mirror on the floor with drops of blood.

He ported into the bathroom not noticing the hole in the wall where the mirror had once been. Reappearing on the edge of the tub in a flash of yellow brimstone Kurt found Naruto setting on the toilet. The spiky haired blonde just set there arms crossed with blood dripping quite freely from his right hand. The sight of so much blood and of the shards embedded in said hand visibly unnerved the young German mutant.

Perhaps the way Naruto just seemed fascinated by the tiny but rapidly growing puddle of blood on the tile floor didn't help. The elfin young man was momentarily and uncharacteristically quiet. He was very certain talking to injured but potentially dangerous people was something that had been covered once or twice but like many subjects the elf had never really paid attention,

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked as much out of concern as he did for the sake of ending the uncomfortable silence. Naruto gave no reply or even an acknowledgment of his words or presence. One by one the embedded shards popped out the shinobi's still clenched hand. The wounds appeared to steam and then mend themselves, "Oh you have a healing rate!" Kurt understood he was stating the obvious but found it better than the eerie silence.

"Why are you in my bathroom?" Naruto asked him sounding mildly surprised as if he had just become aware of the elf's presence. To stunned to say anything Kurt watched as the ninja blinked and then looked at his bloody hand. His blue-eyed gaze follow the blood drops and glass shards up to the whole in the wall where the bathroom mirror used to be, "Oh" Naruto said as if he had found a pair of misplaced glasses, "That's what happened." As if it all made perfect sense to him, Kurt blinked a few times.

"Vhat happened?"

"Nothing," Naruto said shortly, seeing the hurt in the blue furred one's face he sighed and tried again, "It...it was nothing." He said a less belligerent tone but not looking Kurt in the eye. After looking back down at the glass and blood on the floor he did add: "I need to clean this up."

"I can show you vhere ve keep zhe cleaning stuff." Kurt watched as Naruto took several deep breaths before raising his head. The elf had been prepared for another angry outburst not for the smile plastered to Naruto's face,

"Sure Wagner-san that'd be great!" The ninja said cheerfully, "Can you give me a minute?" He asked holding up the bloodied hand. Once Kurt got back with the cleaning stuff the mess proved surprisingly easy to take care of...well the mirror would obviously have to be replaced but still. Nightcrawler couldn't help but be unnerved by Naruto's new found cheerful demeanor. Kurt thought of his sister after her powers had gone out of control at the concert and nearly killed her. Despite having been nearly two years Rogue still hadn't been the same. As soon as they where done Kurt planned on going straight to Logan.

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Later...  
**

There were few people Logan respected more than Charles Xavier, Rogers came pretty damn close. Two men couldn't have been more different from one another; the pacifist and the warrior, Xavier enjoyed a cup of earl grey tea while Logan had bottle of beer in hand. Beneath his cynical exterior Wolverine truly believed Ole Chuck was one of the few people in history fated to leave the world a better place than when he found it. But there were some moments when he was convinced that the old man was secretly trying to give him a stroke,

"Absolutely not!" Charles said in a raised voice,"Naruto has spent his life surrounded by violence, raised in a culture that revered and profited from it! He needs to be shown that there is a better way!" Xavier took a sip of tea and calmed himself before continuing. Aside from Eric, Logan was one of the most argumentative people he knew. It was in a way a trait the Professor appreciated, the former mercenary was a much needed foil. But there were moments Xavier suspected it was just as well he had already lost all his hair prior to meeting him, "I am just as concerned about what Kurt said as you are old friend but at this point let's see if Naruto's efforts at emotional control work out."

"Chuck sometimes I think you don't know the difference between control and repression! Ninja boy buryin' everything beneath a big happy smile is gonna turn ugly." He was glad that it was Hanks turn to handle the Danger Room exercises allowing to hopefully deal with this problem,"I just want to encourage the kid to blow off some steam so he doesn't go apeshit 'cause one of the kids decides to prank him or better yet Magneto show's up to start a fight!" Logan took a swig of beer before continuing, "I know you being worried about something like that happening is a big part of why you kept on Muir Island as long as ya did." Xavier clasped his hands and seemed to ponder Logan's words, "Make it a daily thing, give him some real structure and something guaranteed to take his mind off his troubles." The Canadian added offhandedly as he finished off the beer,

"If Naruto agrees to it," Chuck said firmly looking him in the eye, "then you may proceed."

"Sure thing Chuck." Xavier somehow found Logan's tone anything but reassuring.

* * *

**A Little While Later...  
**

After showering and getting dressed Naruto decided to head downstairs to wait for everyone for as he tried to pass himself off as semi-sane. He was wearing a long sleeve black shirt and jeans all things considered did look a little better than he did before. He didn't really feel any different, he still felt as disconnected from his general surroundings as ever. Naruto though understood now though that on some level he had always been to sense negative emotions. He remembered the way the temperature seemed to drop when he found himself being scrutinized by the cold eyed stares of the villagers. The way Naruto found himself paralyzed before Gaara's suffocating blood lust, hell even the way he had been able to connect with people like Nagato.

Naruto stopped, his false smile fell as another idea occurred to him: what if it was all his empathic abilities? He barely functioned in normal day to day interactions yet he could talk down a man with a god complex into abandoning his warped visions of peace. The young man had always prided being a "genius of hard work" in the words of Rock Lee, someone who had earned his abilities through sweat and blood rather than natural talent. Yet the more he thought about it the more that belief seemed to crumble.

The young man sat down as it all became more and more apparent to him. His father had been the Fourth Hokage and a celebrated war hero and mother was the heir to an ancient and mighty clan that was descended from the motherfucking Sage of the Six Paths! Throw in the Goddamned Kyubi and honestly he had more potential than the likes of Sasuke or Neji. Which, in Naruto's eyes, made his current situation all the more pathetic the more he thought about it. What did that say about him that everything he accomplished boiled down to dumb luck and abilities?

"(Excuse me Naruto-san?)" The ninja blinked and turned to the speaker of the voice. The feral, perpetually pissed looking short man was one of the last people Naruto had expected to speak his language. He could tell the man was holding something behind his back but didn't think to pay closer attention,

"(Yeah?)" The only warning was the light reflecting off the steel blade as Logan went for a decapitating strike. Naruto managed to barely catch the blade in both hands, he appeared to be taking a series of deep breaths. The Canadian realized the kid was trying to keep calm, Logan took it as a sign that the kid could be helped. But at the moment he needed to piss the kid off,

"(Moderately impressive boy,)" Wolverine drawled trying his best to channel the arrogance of a certain Samurai he'd crossed blades with long ago, "(I find it hard to imagine someone your skills was left as bloodied and defeated as you were.)" Naruto bared his teeth at Logan in way that reminded him of Victor.

"(What the fuck is wrong with you!?)" Naruto said as his blue eyes became slitted as months of built rage so desperately tried to get out "(Give me one good reason I shouldn't take your fucking head off!?)"

"(Because it's not possible and because-)" Logan planted his foot in Naruto's solar plexus sending him tumbling down the stairs, "ya suck kid." He said in English while sheathing his blade and strolling down the stairs like he was the guest of honor at high class party, "I mean I've lost a few battles, seen a lot of good men die over the years but I never got my ass kicked to another fucking universe." Naruto was back up and going through the breathing exercises once again.

"You have no fucking clue what I've been through!"

"Hey kid, you got your ass kicked I lost friends."

"SO DID I!" Naruto roared looking as if he was going to try to rip the Canadian to pieces,

"Ya don't act like it, been here a over half a year ya hardly mention them or even mourned them. Just been moping around on your sorry excuse of a ninja as-" Logan blocked an incoming kick with his arm, "make that real sorry excuse for a ninja ass." Naruto tried to hold back the tears, Logan expression seemed to soften somewhat, "You wanna prove your not and work off some of that anger you're feeling?" He tossed Naruto a combat knife as he glanced at his watch, "In about an hour ask Kurt to show you where the Danger Room is, tell him I said too. And tell the elf ya both need to keep out of sight."

* * *

**The Danger Room, Kurt Wagner POV...**

As an X-Men Nightcrawler had been in plenty of battles, from the Brotherhood to the Sentinel. And while he had been focused on rescuing civilians he had been in New York during the Chitauri attack. Yet watching Naruto and Logan go at it was one of the bloodiest and brutal things he had witnessed thus far. Watching from the safety of the observation room Kurt felt his fur stand on end for the second time that day. It wasn't simply the fact that Naruto, who up until this mourning had seemed even more emotionally backed up than Scott, was displaying some profound anger issues. It was also the fact that Naruto about as aggressive as Mr. Logan and seemed to have more powers then he and most of his teammates combined.

Kurt's admiration (mancrush) of Logan went up considerably, the man demonstrated swordsman ship he didn't think was possible outside of Kill Bill or Samurai Champloo. It was a strange thing seeing Wolverine fighting so methodically, counter attacking more often than attacking. Kurt almost had the impression Logan was just letting Naruto vent his considerable rage.

Perhaps if the ninja might have fared better against Logan if he had been in a sounder frame of mind. The blue elf was also wondering if he'd be less unnerved if there was less blood everywhere. Plus he was almost certain Naruto was now missing a finger. He was both glad things had settled down from the look of things. Both combatants were strangely still speaking to one another in Japanese.

* * *

"(I'll arrange for you to have access to this room daily,)" Logan explained, "(You need an outlet for you rage and grief, furthermore it will allow you to keep in fighting form should the Professor discover a way to return you to your world.)" The Canadian was relieved to see that got the kid's interest, despite keeping up aloof appearance Logan was hurting. Aside from that attack on New York several months back Logan hadn't been in a scrap that brutal in some time. Naruto seemed emotionally deflated, not calm but not on the brink of having an episode either.

"(I'd like that,)" Naruto admitted and looked Wolverine in the eye, "(I get why you brought me down here but for the record I think your an asshole.)" He said before holding up his right hand and flexing the recently reattached middle digit. Sure knowing that severed body parts would reattach after a few minutes if held to the stump was neat but still. The man strange hair give him a stern look said to him in English:

"Nobody flips me the bird kiddo." He then surveyed the damage done to the room, "Go wash up, I've gotta let people know the Danger Rooms gonna be closed for repairs for the rest of the day." The sixteen year old got up and started to leave, "Naruto," Logan said, "if your not happy don't pretend you are, if you want space just ask for it. Your feeling pissed find me and we'll go a few rounds." Without stopping Naruto said,

"I will..._jackass._" He said under his breath but Logan had no problem hearing the kid.

"Smartass." Logan said back as Naruto walked out the door and smirked, there was some novelty to having a kid around who wasn't scared shitless of him.

**Author's Notes (Please Read): **I know this isn't my best work but I do promise the next chapter will be of much better quality on all fronts. I have big plans for this story and I'm really trying to get things in motion, so just bare with me a little longer.


	6. Chapter Five: Pain and Comfort I

**Chapter Five: Pain and Comfort I  
**

**The Institute...**

Kitty Pride sat alone in her room staring at her phone wondering if she should call her parents. They hadn't reacted well to learning their little girl had been deflowered (and given a VD) by a boy who had once tried to kill them. They had yelled and screamed at her for hours afterwords followed by one profoundly angry phone call to the Professor.

It was the first time she could remember her dad being so angry with her. The few times she had been punished as a child it was her mom who was the "bad guy". For the remaining weeks of the summer there had been a cold peace between them. Her dad barely looked at her much less spoke to her while her mom had talked a little with her once she had calmed down. She assured Kitty that her dad wouldn't stay mad at her forever that he just needed time to accept that his daughter had grown up.

The young woman had decided to give them both space to help expedite the process. Yet now more then ever she wanted someone to talk too. Not for the first time she found herself wishing Rogue hadn't been given her own room. In spite of (or maybe because of) because of their differences they had became close friends over the years. Kitty sat cross-legged on her bed wondering if maybe she should see if Rogue was still awake. She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand. It said two-thirty, "Rogue's always been a bit of a night owl." The brunette said to herself as she climbed out of bed.

Phasing through her door she moved quietly down the hallway to avoid disturbing the other students. She felt a mixture of disappointment and amusement when she heard the unmistakable sound of Rogue snoring coming through the goth girl's bedroom. The door to the room next to Rogue's opened and out stepped an irritated looking Jubilee, "Did Vamprella's snoring wake you up too?" The Chinese-American teen asked,

"No," She whispered, "just couldn't sleep. I was gonna see if she was still up and wanted to talk." Despite being only half awake Jubilee couldn't help but notice how down Kitty looked.

"I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon we could talk if you want?" She offered awkwardly, it was clearly something personal for the petite brunette. Their friendship didn't go much deeper than shopping buddies.

Kitty herself was hesitating but she wanted someone to talk too, she chewed her lower lip for a moment before replying,"Um okay, but promise you won't tell anyone?" Kitty pleaded,

"Sure," Jubilee answered taken a back by Kitty's demeanor. It wasn't the doe-eyed childish one she used to butter up Logan. It's was one that came across as scared and more then a little desperate. Jubilee knew she had had broken up with Lance recently. Before ninja boy showed it was the only thing people talked about in the Institute. There had been rumors going around of course as there always were in these situations

One said that Kitty was pregnant but just not showing yet while others claimed that Lance had become abusive. Either could explain Kitty's less than cheerful mood since returning to the Institute. Jubilee also knew Lance had both been sexually involved with Kitty and had a nasty temper. The mall rat ultimately decided to just wait for Kitty to explain everything to her.

**Thirty Minutes Later...**

"Oh my god that pig." Jubilee said in disgust, Kitty just snorted and dried the tears from her eyes, "At least it was something treatable," She pointed out to which Kitty just nodded weakly, "And your parents don't hate you. They were fine with you being a mutant they'll eventually be fine with this eventually."

"I should have never let him touch me, I'm not even seventeen yet!"

"I was fourteen my first time, he was sixteen." Jubilee said quietly Kitty stared at her in surprise, "Looking back it was stupid, I didn't even use a condom."

"Who was he?"

"Angelo Espinosa," Jubilee said with a sad smile,

"He sounds dreamy," Kitty commented, "You never mentioned him before?"

"It didn't end well," Seeing Curious Kitty's questioning face she elaborated, "Angelo wasn't a bad person deep down but he always got involved with bad people, that's what I've told myself at least." Shadowcat definitely understood that sentiment,"He was still serving time last I heard from him. Looking back there were a lot of ways it could have gone very badly for me too. Even after he got taken away I kind of got stuck with a reputation. I thought my life was over," Her frown turned to a smile as she made a small cackling ball of energy, "My powers were the best thing that could've happened to me. Bayville and the Institute was a fresh start for me."

"I don't think going to another school is like an option for me." Kitty replied, "What if it gets that I caught the clap?" Jubilee gave her a level look,

"Do you think anyone here will make fun of you for that? You might get a few "I told you so's" before they hang whatever is left of Lance after Wolverine's carved him to pieces."

"What about the people at school?"

"Do you really think they'll treat you any worse than they already do?" She countered in a deadpan, "At the end of the day your life isn't over because a boy screwed you over. No one here will stop being your friend I promise." Kitty wiped a few grateful tears from eyes before speaking,

"Thanks Jubilee" The petite brunette got up and hugged her, "I feel like, loads better."

"Glad to help," The other girl replied before looking a little nervous, "but I would like to keep some things quiet just as much as you do." Kitty did have a tendency to run at the mouth.

"Totally," Kitty assured the other girl before looking curious again, "Does Bobby know about any of this?" Jubilee smiled softly,

"I've been able to tell him everything, he's probably one of the most nonjudgmental people you can meet." Jubilee looked at her, "There really are nice guys out there Kitty, you've just gotta get back on the horse and find one."

"I think I need a break from boys for a while." Kitty said looking tired on a both physical and emotional level, "I mean, I still can't believe he cheated on me."

"His loss, you can do a lot better than him." The other girl assured her, "Plus I'm sure karma's gonna catch up to him somehow."

**The Brotherhood of Bayville Boarding Home, Friday Night...**

Four teen boys sat amidst the filth and disrepair of their home watching DVRed episodes of Family Guy. So enthralled by the mediocre "humor" of the show that they didn't notice Pietro walk through the door. Nor did they notice the speedster like looking like a small town housewife from a Lifetime movie: titchy and looking ready to bolt any minute, "Hey guys, we've got a new teammate."

"Who?" Lance asked looking up to see a woman standing behind Quicksilver. Joanna looked contemptuously at them all and her surrounding in general before correcting Pietro.

"He means new team leader and the name is Frenzy."

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for both the lack of updates and the shortness of the this chapter. For those of you wondering Naruto will show back up in the next chapter. This fic will split the time between Naruto and the X-Men characters. Please review peace out!


	7. Chapter Six: Pain and Comfort II

**Chapter Six: Pain and Comfort II**

**Jean's Office, A Month Later...**

Jean stood frozen on the spot with one hand on her left temple while the other was outstretched towards the now prone form of her patient. After a moment her outstretched hand began to tremble, the telepath sat down on the ground to try to compose herself. She hadn't expected to have to actually make use of the Professor's advice on how to incapacitate Naruto if he become violent but was glad for it, "Note to self: the subject of "Uchiha Sasuke" elicits a...very," Jean glanced at the window that Naruto had flung her desk out of, "emotional response from the patient. In the future I will have to broach this subject more carefully." With that she telekinetically hit the stop button on the tape recorder embedded on the wall end of the room.

At this point Jean wondered if the Professor had given her this assignment to give her a more...realistic view of what therapy entailed. Reading outbreak violent outbursts is one thing; actually seeing someone (with superhuman strength to boot) flip out was another matter entirely. It also made her a little more understanding of the Professor's decision to keep Naruto on Muir Island for so long. While she didn't believe he would ever deliberately hurt someone without provocation it was clear that helping him control his temper was top priority. Sasuke though was clearly a subject that would have to be revisited, glancing at Naruto she couldn't help but feel at a loss at how to help him.

Jean had been forced to cope with the death of a friend when she was very young, as horrible as it was something that any reasonably competent therapist was equipped to help someone through. Naruto had to around the same age cope with a friend trying to kill him while defecting to a hostile nation. The young woman suspected few textbooks had been written on how to help someone cope with that, if any. It did if nothing else identify yet another personal demon amidst the Legion that plagued Naruto: very clear attachment issues. This Sasuke clearly was an obsession for him invoking a broad spectrum of emotions from the young man. Her patient clearly considered himself responsible for Sasuke's actions and choices. Naruto, much like Scott was of the cross carrying mentality shouldering the responsibilities and blame of others as if they were his own burdens.

"_I hope Scott doesn't end up this damaged one day." _The young woman filed that private fear away before dealing with more immediate problems. After a moment of quiet meditation Jean picked herself up sent Naruto a telepathic nudge. His cerulean eyes opened slowly, turning his head the ninja saw Jean standing over him with a concerned look on her face. As he picked himself up he surveyed Jean's office, shame filled as the full memory of his outburst hit him.

"I'm sorry," He said in a tight voice being unable to look her in the eye. Jean was quiet, Naruto imagined her now looking angry or disappointed with him. The older woman was simply trying to think of the best way to phrase what she wanted to say,

"You talked about how...you knew people who let their lives be controlled by hate or revenge and how destructive that path can be." She said in a soft tone, "I think this proves that guilt and being angry at yourself can be just as destructive. That desk could have really hurt someone if it had landed on them from this height or worse." Jean gently cupped his chin and raised his head up, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah I do," Naruto admitted, "Maybe I need a DR session with Logan to work out this out." Jean suppressed the irritation she felt at Logan for goading Naruto into that. The students were now giving him a wider berth after they learned the grisly details about his fight with Wolverine,

"If the Professor's okay with it than you are free to do so but I would like you to find outlets that don't involve violence." Jean told him, "I heard you had really gotten into your studies on Muir Island. Wouldn't that be a more productive and peaceful use of your time?" Naruto scratched the back of his head looking a little uncomfortable.

"I didn't actually do that good on any of it except English," He admitted,"and that's because I was fucking tired of sign language and mind probing whenever someone wanted to talk to me." Another thing Jean had learned about Naruto was that he seemed to be fairly casual about profanity. Jean however decide to only fight one battle at a time for now.

"I think that proves you can do good with your studies if you really want to," Jean told him, "I'll find you a tutor to help you out with what ever subjects you need but for now I think it's best to end our session. Get yourself something to eat and really think about everything we've gone over."

"Yes Jean-san," Naruto replied cheerfully enough but as he looked around at the damage done to Jean's office it faded fairly quickly.

"Don't worry," Jean told him, "In about an hour you can come back to help me clean this up as best we can." She figured having him help with the repairs in someway would help him feel less guilty about wrecking the place.

"Yeah that's definitely the least I can do." He admitted and actually looked a little happier for it so Jean at the end of it all would class this as a success of sorts for now.

* * *

Kitty Pride sat in the institute library with her laptop reading the latest chapter of her favorite Twilight fanfic. It didn't make her as happy it normally would have perhaps romance involving a dangerous boy had lost it's appeal. Even if Edward was nicer in his own way and, from the looks of the story's lemon scene at least, way more of a man than Lance. Deciding this wasn't the most healthy thing to be thinking of she exited the page and opted to just listen to music. Slipping on a pair of head phones the young brunette played a few of the darker tracks Rogue had recommended over the years. Once upon a time she had found them to morbid but after everything that had happened to her and the X-Men her tastes had slowly changed over the years.

"_I guess we've all changed haven't we?" _She thought sadly, morale was running pretty low these days. Magneto and his Acolytes were as evasive as ever while some psycho televangelist was traveling cross country claiming mutants were the spawn of the devil. People hated mutants more than ever while SHIELD's superheroes were loved, _"Superheroes, that's what the professor said we were going to be." _

Kitty knew some of her fellow students felt a lot worse than she did about the Avengers popularity. The fact that a former enemy like Wanda was among seemed to be salt on the wound for some of them. The brunette was generally an optimist and inclined to see the brighter side of things. They had saved the world from a threat that by all appearances rivaled Apocalypse or Magneto. The X-Men had fought with the few Chitarui that had gotten through the defensive line Kitty imagine taking on a whole army of those things or the lunatic leading them. They deserved credit for all the good they did Kitty just wished the X-Men would get the same treatment.

As time went on Kitty found herself lost in the music eventually switching over to her more peppy songs. A finger tapping her on the shoulder brought her back to the present, looking up she saw Jean standing over her shoulder.

"Like what's up?" The petite girl asked as she removed her headphones,

"I wanted to ask you for a big favor." Jean replied,

"Like what do you need?" Kitty asked curiously, Jean usually gave help rather than ask for it.

"You've met Naruto right?"

* * *

The large rust colored beast regarded the boy with the same level of contempt one might have for a cockroach. But over half a year of silence had proven to rather tedious and Naruto had if nothing else never been boring. The bald mindwalker had certainly amusing to terrify and taunt but that had been his only moment of fun during that time. His jailor carried himself in a way Kurama hadn't seen in years, it was the way he carried himself as a child when know one was looking. His head and shoulders hung low, golden bangs hiding his expression causing the demon grin broadly. Naruto's response was equally tactless:

"Bite me Kurama."

"You have lost the right to address me by my true name boy." The monstrous fox said as his smile shifted to snarl, "I assume you've come to me for reasons beyond telling me off?"

"I blew up on Jean-san today," He said quietly, "I threw things and broke them but it's all a blur." The suspicion in his words elicited a rolling if the eyes from the demon who opted to preempt the coming accusation.

"No." To which the ninja blinked in a moment of confusion, sighing Kurama clarified: "I did not influence your behavior," He pointed a clawed finger towards Naruto to emphasize the point, "you have only your own anger to blame for that. The mind witch only pointed what so many have tried to point out to you: your fixation with the Uchiha boy is a rather unhealthy thing."

"He was my friend!" Naruto snapped, "Like a brother to me and she calls it a disease!"

"An "attachment disorder" I believe she called it." Kurama supplied, "An amusingly sanitary term if you ask me. But what I'm perplexed about is this: why do you care what she says?"

"What?" Naruto said dumbly,

"Don't you believe this world to be nothing more than an elaborate lie? That she's just a figment of that twisted Uchiha's imagination?" The ninja's face looked for a moment before tightening, "Of course boy, I suspect that in and was simply an elaborate you've told yourself." By now Naruto looked ready to tear Kurama apart with bare hands and perhaps teeth from the way he bared them.

"SHUT! THE! **FUCK UP!"** The demon's face conveyed nothing more than bored irritation. Whatever amusement the demon had taken his host's misery had now evaporated like dew drops beneath the noon sun. Nor did he find it practical for his host to in such a state for long, the boy's fight with the clawed regenerator had driven home how atrophied his skills had become. If, by some hellish stroke of bad luck, Obito managed to recreate the space/time distortion that sent Naruto here in the first place the boy was in no shape to fight him right now.

"Do you know the trait I admired about you the most?"

"Enlighten me." The ninja seethed,

"That unlike most people you have generally been able to face the truths about yourself and the culture in which you live in with one unfortunate exception." Kurama saw no point in mentioning Sasuke directly as that always lead to a fight, "For your own benefit and infinitely more so mine you need to make use of this trait. You have for over the last half year been stranded in another world and thus the Fourth Great Shinobi War is over for you." Naruto looked ready to explode once more but instead some to calm down. Without saying anything Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to leave, "Not being able to accept loss and defeat is what lead Obito to becoming the pathetic wretch who set fire to the Shinobi World." The blonde haired boy stopped,

"...You're right," He said slowly, "Jean-san's right, even that clawed jackass is right. I really do need to stop feeling sorry for myself." Naruto didn't know if he'd ever get home and even if he did how he'd manage to fix things. But he understood the odds would be a lot more in his favor if he wasn't having an episode just because Sasuke was mentioned. Naruto paused his thought's drifting back towards the battle the bridge with Orochimaru..."Maybe...maybe I really do have issues."


	8. Chapter Seven: Pain and Comfort III

**Chapter Seven: Pain and Comfort Part III**

To the people of Bayville it was privately owned warehouse, for the Brotherhood it was a little slice of Hell. Mystique had put some effort into training them but it was nothing compared to what Frenzy was putting them through.

Taking advantage of the fact that her team didn't have to attend school she decided they should spend their days training. The crates of varying sizes had been rearranged into a makeshift obstacle course for Blob, Toad, and Pyro to ran laps through. It was an effort to both instill discipline and encourage team work amongst them.

In a different area of the warehouse Lance was training to use his abilities in an unorthodox firing range of sorts. It consisted of numerous dummies dressed as members of the X-Men, the Brotherhood, and even the Acolytes amongst various nude models meant to simulate flatscan civilians (humans better known as expendables in Frenzy's mind) in a rough simulation of battle.

The objective being to knock down the X-Men without harming the Acolytes or Brotherhood members. It forced Lance, as Frenzy intended, to be more precise with his attack than usual. After a month of solid training he had shown some improvement, not what she would have liked but with this group Joanna had learned to take what you could get.

She surveyed all of this from a from an interconnected series of walkways high above ground. A gust air followed by the sound of heavy breathing alerted her to the presence of the last member of this team of incompetents: Peitro Maximoff, the worm-eaten blight of his father's eye.

"Took longer than I expected." She commented tonelessly not even bothering to turn around,"Did you get the stuff?" Joanna didn't even have to turn around to know Maximoff was seething and probably suffering from heat exhaustion.

"Do you have any freaking idea how freaking hot is Atlanta still is this time of year?"

"Considering it's my hometown I actually have pretty damn good idea." Frenzy said as she finally turned around to face her boss's irate son. Pietro was red face and sweating from the errand she had sent him on south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In one hand was a large brown paper bag and in the other was a clear bag containing a jug of iced tea.

She relieved Pietro of the former as she spoke, "I keep some plastic cups in the office, pour yourself some and offer some to the other morons. They can take a ten minute break before resuming drills." Opening the bag Joanna's face softened somewhat as the smells of the food within triggered something resembling nostalgia for the young woman.

The food had come a hole in the wall restaurant that perhaps represented the only vaguely happy memories from her childhood. Her parents would take her brother and her there every Sunday after church and would put in the effort to at least act like a happy family. Is was the one place she could briefly forget her father was an abusive alcoholic or that her mother turned a blind eye his issues...and her bruises.

For the most part she had severed her ties to her past life having not set foot in Atlanta much less the state of Georgia for four years and honestly wouldn't be to bothered if she didn't do so for another forty. But since Pietro had considered her training regiment "lame" she didn't mind having him make runs to her various favorite restaurants across the country and beyond. She figured it'd be a good way to test the limits of his abilities and patience. Tomorrow it would be fish tacos from a place in Northern Baja.

Frenzy was determined to make the best of this situation; it wasn't lost on her that the Brotherhood was a dumping ground for mutants to weak to make the Acolytes. She could see the value of having a few expendables around so long as she wasn't categorized as such herself.

Joanna shook her head and opened the to-go box revealing smoked ribs, cornbread, and collard greens. For all it's shortcomings the South easily had the best food in the country. She opted to try and put aside her worries and just enjoy her food. Frenzy managed to get through most of the meal in peace until her cellphone rang. Only a few people had her number so she answered it immediately, "Yeah?"

"Frenzy," Erik's ever measured tone replied, "Status report?" She glance over the railing to see Blob trying to dig Toad out of from underneath a pile of crates.

"They're better then they were a month ago but that's not saying much," Joanna replied honestly seeing no point in sugar coating it, "it'll be a couple of months before their ready for any serious missions sir."

"Time is rapidly becoming a luxury for us I'm afraid, I need the Brotherhood ready much sooner. Perhaps a little more hands on experience would serve them well." Frenzy said nothing as her superior elaborated by the end of she looked less then pleased with her orders.

"Sir I strongly advise against this," Were it not for her respect for Magneto and his cause she might have phrased it a little more colorfully, "they're a bunch of morons. From what I understand the X-Men have kicked their sorry backsides in every fight they've had! Just one month of training isn't going to do a thing to change that sir! Two more months at least just to knock the stupid out of them!"

Magneto was silent for moment leaving Frenzy to wonder if she had crossed a line. After a moment the Master of Magnetism replied, "I can give you one more month but that is all; there have been some developments that I'll brief you on in person as soon as possible." With that he hung up leaving his subordinate less than pleased with this new development.

"Motherfucker!" She muttered under her before leaping over the railing landing on her feet and cracking the concrete floor upon impact. The members of the members of the Brotherhood looked upon her with varying degrees of worry, "Alright morons listen up!"

**Back at the Institute...**

Naruto sat quietly in the library looking at his history textbook in both confusion and disbelief. Apparently people in this world had somehow managed to travel to the moon. He wondered if he should warn the X-Men about the Juubi? Did it even exist in this world at all? Regardless it was just one among many of the differences between his world and this one.

"_If I'm stuck in this world I might as well learn about it." _Naruto sometimes wondered how things would've turned out if he had put more effort into the academic side of things back in school. Over the past several months he had reflected a great deal on his life on number of levels.

In terms of of his fighting abilities his biggest failing was his profound lack of understanding of the more basic aspects of being a ninja. Chakra control, basic tactics, taijutsu, and a grasp of his own world's history wouldn't have hurt either. His battle with Sasuke back at the Valley of the End stood out in his mind as exhibit A. He and Sasuke had evenly matched in terms of raw power but it was Sasuke's superior that had been the real deciding factor.

The Uchiha had been more economic preferring to counter attack and fight more strategically. The same thing Logan had done during their fight. It also didn't hurt that Sasuke had the luxury of a larger, more versatile arsenal of jutsu. Naruto couldn't help but wonder why none of his teachers never thought to teach him more basic techniques? That may have been one weakness he had been working to over come before ending up here but still.

Naruto didn't like the idea of blaming his shortcomings on other people. He had known too many people who did that to justify being assholes. Yet he couldn't but feel some bitterness and scorn towards Jiraiya and Kakashi. But considering one was dead and the other was either likewise or trapped in some lunatic's never ending day dream he felt fairly petty for it.

He had sworn not to wallow in self loathing anymore but actually doing so was proving to more difficult. Between that and trying to make heads or tails of the positively arcane writings of his text books he felt the beginnings of a huge headache. Jean had promised someone was going help with this but so far they hadn't sho-

"Oh my god! I am like so sorry!" Kitty said as she sat across from with her laptop, "Jean had asked me to do this and it like totally skipped my mind!" The brunette said at a speed he didn't think should not have been possible, bloodline or no bloodline.

"It's okay." He told her as she started up her computer and then started stacking up his books in some kind of order. There was a subtle awkwardness between them, neither had been in the best frame of mind the last time they had been in close proximity to one another. Naruto, never one to grasp why people ignored the elephant in the first place, said: "You seem happier than the last time." Kitty shifted uncomfortably, she could tell it was a clumsy attempt at a compliment.

"Uh thanks, so do you."

"Thanks," He replied actually managing a smile in the process. A sight that made Kitty feel a bit better about tutoring him. She had been slightly worried about being around Naruto after a month of hearing rumors about his fight with Mr. Logan.

"Alright so what subject are you having trouble with Naruto?" The ninja scratched the back of his head looking a little embarrassed.

"All of them." He said quietly,

"Well, like which is your worst subject?" Kitty asked trying to figure out were he needed the most work.

"I don't know really." Something told Kitty this was going to be a long tutoring session.

**Meanwhile at the Legion of Doom...**

"Yo why do we need another whole month training before getting a shot at the X-Geeks?" Toad whined, the others voiced similar opinions after Frenzy had explained things to them.

"Because things ain't as simple as they used to be," she told them, "aside from the fact the X-Men can still mop the floor with you guys on their own we now have to worry about SHIELD or God help us the Avengers dropping in on us!"

"Earth's mightiest zeros can't be all that tough." Blob said confidently, a sentiment everyone but surprisingly enough Peitro echoed. Joanna didn't know rather to chalk it up to daddy's boy being more in the know than his friends or because his sister was a member of the Avengers. That wasn't really important at the moment, the thing mattered was making the rest of these morons understand the stakes. Honestly she didn't know how to deal with this level of stupidity outside of crossing lines Magneto would frowned upon.

"The Avengers are the ones who threw me in prison!" She snapped, "If they can beat me they sure as hell can beat you morons! So we're going to keep on training until I'm sure you'll last more then five minutes in a real fight." Another round of grumbling followed leaving Frenzy at the end of her rope, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" She screamed silencing them, Joanna then cracked her knuckles, "Alright time for a different approach: all of you against me, if you idiots win: no more training."

"Seriously?" Lance asked in disbelief,

"Yep, anything goes." All of the Brotherhood was looking eager now, they knew their handler was strong but all of them together would more than a match against her right?

**The Institute Library, that evening...**

Kitty suppressed to urge to cringe as she went over Naruto's work. He seemed to have a relatively decent understanding of chemistry due to ninjas making heavy use of poisons and explosives but otherwise his grasp of science was shaky at best. Perhaps due to living in a more "magical" world? Catching him up on mathematics was going to take a great deal of time and patience.

Being from another world entirely meant he was completely out of the loop about American and world history. "Out of the loop" seemed to be the best way to describe Naruto in general; she didn't get the impression he was an idiot only that he never been taught or perhaps taught poorly. Seeing the nervous look on his face it was also clear he wanted to do good.

"How did I do?" Kitty looked up at him and then back down at the paper. Those soft blue eyes moved back and forth a few more times as she chewed her lip.

"Well..." She said finally, "you totally tried your best Naruto," Kitty didn't want to hurt his feelings, "...and if you keep working I promise you'll definitely improve."

It took Naruto a full minute to get the subtext of what the petite brunette just told, "Translation: I fucked up." He sighed looking dejected, Kitty reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his own. It was a gesture that surprised Naruto,

"It's okay, now I know what subjects you need the most help with," Kitty said optimistically before her cellphone rang, "Hello?" Something the other person said made smile and roll her eyes all at once, "Yes I remember Kurt, I'm actually on my way up." She then looked at Naruto curiously, "Hey would it be okay if I bring someone? Thanks." Kitty hung up, "Kurt and his girlfriend had invited me to join them and another couple for a movie marathon and pizza night thing they do, wanna join?"

"I don't know." He said uncertainly,

"Oh come on all you ever do when your not with Jean or Mr Logan sit all by yourself." Naruto seemed embarrassed and then oddly enough confused,

"You do that a lot too." His perplexed tone made it clear no insult was intended. Kitty sighed,

"Yeah, and it's not good that I do that. That's why Kurt and Amanda are always dragging me along on their dates." She smiled at him, "So now I'm doing you that favor, come on Kurt always picks great movies." She looked at him with pleading eyes, something Naruto had no resistance to whatsoever.

"Alright I'll go." Kitty smiled at him before she started gathering up her things. Naruto watched her as she did so, he had hadn't truly noticed what a pretty girl she was before now. Her soft blue eyes, cute face, and she was such nice girl to boot_. _As Naruto followed her he couldn't help but think back to that breakdown she had during their first encounter, _"What had that been about? Had someone hurt her?"_

She had shown far more patience and kindness with him in one tutoring session than all his instructors put together save Iruka had shown back at the academy. He couldn't imagine what kind of an asshole would be mean to someone like her but Naruto really hoped whoever it was would got whatever they deserved.

**The Warehouse, a few hours earlier...**

Lance limped around the corner for all he was worth as Blob of all people went tumbling past him like a blubbery bowling ball. They had all known Frenzy had super human strength but none of them had any inkling of how monstrously strong she really was, on top of which she was not shy about using it.

"Where do you think your going Ava-clap!?" Lance ground his teeth, apparently all of Magneto's top henchmen knew about the intimate details his failed relationship with Kitty thanks to Pietro.

"_Why are we friends with that ass?" _He wondered as he hid behind some crates to catch his breath. As quietly as possible Lance checked out his leg and was thankful it didn't seem to be broken. A sigh of relief was gut short by an effeminate shriek that could have either been either Quicksilver or Toad. Apparently one of them had tried to ambush Frenzy buying him a much needed reprieve, _"Come on Lance think, can't let this bitch push you around!"_

Lance looked around trying while doing his best to ignore the sounds of someone begging for their life. The crates here were stacked higher and more haphazardly than rest of the of the warehouse. With his powers this was a perfect place for an ambush. Avalanche staggered to his feet and limped far enough down the corridor to hopefully not get crushed when brought this all down on Frenzy's head.

It was at this point he noticed it was a dead end which meant he'd have no means of escape but on the other hand he didn't have to worry about being ambushed from the rear. So Lance opted to hope for the best and got ready for what ever came next.

"Somebody help yo!" Toad yelled as he went leaping by, "I thought she said anything goes!"

"Todd!" Lance called out to him while trying not to ponder what Toad had done, "Over here!" The amphibious mutant came leaping down the corridor followed a heartbeat later by an even more pissed off then normal looking Joanna covered in Tolansky's noxious slime. Lance cringed at the thought of what she'd do to Toad if she got her hands on him.

Frenzy came barreling down the corridor with the power of a locomotive. Lance took the as his cue to build up his attack. The woman's training had actually improved his control over his abilities to an extant. His body seemed to spasm as he held his power back until just the right moment. Self control had never been his strong point in any aspect of his life rather it was holding back till the right moment or saying no to a cheep prostitute.

As such when it should have been no surprise that when Lance loosed his powers instead of sending very localized tremors to throw Frenzy off balance and bury her he instead wound up bringing down the entire factory down on all of them.

**The Brotherhood House, the present...**

Magneto stood in the living room wearing a trench coat and fedora looking fairly perturbed. All of the Brotherhood save Blob and Frenzy had been injured in the collapse but nothing life threatening,"Be thankful I had taken out a fairly large insurance policy on that building Mr Alvers." He drawled as he focused those ice blue eyes on Avalanche.

"I am sir." Lance replied, the master of magnetism was one of the few people he knew who elicited an automatic sir from him. Lensher seemed satisfied with that and turned his attention to Frenzy. She had accepted full responsibility for what happened. The young woman stood at attention, showing neither fear nor insubordination in response to his scrutinizing gaze.

"You have your two months Frenzy, I advise you use them well. I will send Triage tomorrow to mend their injuries." He said as turned to leave, "I expect results."

**Author's Notes: **Alrighty folks hoped you enjoyed this, please review as always. Next chapter will be a downtime chapter focused soley on Naruto actually trying to socialize with the general populace of the Institute. Then after that is when things get moving when the social and political situation outside of the Institute is revealed.


End file.
